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Summary of Events * Royal Court At London Features A Furious King Uther Talking Of Cornwall's Treachery * Sir Rhodri Flusters Over Lady Jenna And A Secret He's Kept Since Last Year; But He Can't Put It Into Words For The Earl * The British Army Marches To Cornwall; Duke Goloris Refuses To Fight On The Fields * Uther Takes A Quarter Of The Army To Siege Lady Ygraine In Tintagel; The Rest Go With Prince Madoc To Fight Goloris At Terrabil * Sir Aeron And Sir Geriant Meet Merlin, Who Seems Oddly Focused On Watching Duke Goloris Before Going To Speak With Uther * In The Middle Of The Night, Cornish Troops Launch a Sneak Attack! * Roman Militia Send Aeron And Geriant To The Hospital * Duke Goloris Kills Prince Madoc, But Sir Elad Wounds The Duke And Sir Rhodri Beheads Him * The Cornish Rout And Rhodri Is The Hero Of The Battle * Uther Is Hardened With Grief At Madoc's Death, But The Battle Is Over; Ygraine Surrenders * The Nobles Of The Land Turn Out For Madoc's Funeral At Stonehenge * The Knights Garrison Terrabil Over The Summer * A Month Or So Later, Word Comes Of King Uther's Wedding... To Lady Ygraine * The Wedding Is A Widely Attended Affair:Much Hob-Nobbing Takes Place * Prince Odo Of Frankland Is A Unpleasant Guest At Terrabil * At Christmas Court, Sir Rhodri Finally Addresses The Earl About His Love Details Session One * Spring Court At London Features Preparations For War ** Dafydd and Unos are amongst those knighted this year - Sir Daffyd will be taking his family manor, making him one of Sir Elad's vassal knights. ** The king brands Goloris a traitor and dastard for defying the king's command and hospitality. ** Gossip is mostly about the King's reason for war - everyone knows it's not about treason but about lust for Lady Ygraine. Even Madoc has tried to convince his father not to go to war. *** Sir Aeron expresses reservations about the war to Earl Roderick of Salisbury but the Earl makes it clear that their duty to the King must be done. ****The Earl will, however, only be sending a minimal muster to fight in Cornwall; many foot troops will remain for fear of Saxon assault. ** Lesser gossip relates to Sir Madog's wife and allegations that she sleeps with his brother; and Lady Indeg's suspiciously Frankish looking child, whom Sir Leander has showered with gifts. ** Sir Rhodri confesses to his colleagues that, as he healed from his wounds last year, Lady Jenna threw herself at him and he had to fight her off. He has fallen in love with her, but does not know how to convince the Earl to marry her to him rather than the Dukes and Earls who are expressing an interest. *** Sir Geriant tries to help Sir Rhodri talk to the Earl but to no avail - he is rendered tongue-tied with love. * Duke Goloris has split his forces between his two castles: Tintagel holds his wife and treasure safely at the coast, but the bulk of his army is at Terrabil and can move to crush Uther's forces if they move en masse to Tintagel. ** Uther sends Madoc and 3/4s of the army to Terrabil to surround the castle and try to cut off the army. He takes a smaller portion to Tintagel. *** Earl Roderick and the Salisbury knights are in the Terrabil contingent. This makes them very glad, as no-one wants to be about Uther in his current mood; and some find the idea of aiding Uther in attacking a woman dishonourable. * Waiting outside the castle for a few days, things go slowly. Rhodri and Geriant must get used to their new squires, not as experienced as their old ones. * While waiting Merlin appears, hiding away from the battle and starting at Terrabil. Aeron approaches and finds Merlin his usual self - he will not depart until he sees Goloris on the battlements, then leaves in a rush to see Uther. * As Madoc's forces wait, they are attacked in the middle of the night - somehow the Cornish have managed to ambush the siege force! ** The first chunk of combat is chaotic as the knights try to get back to their tents to armour up and get on their horses. Many good Logres knights are seriously wounded stalling the enemy to let their kin prepare. ** Sir Elad's unit rides out to battle Cornish Spearmen. Sir Elad takes a nasty wound but the enemy is chased off - Prince Madoc calls his troops to rally to his banner. ** Sir Lycus leads a counter-attack. Sir Elad's unit comes off the worse in a battle against Infantry from one of the Roman cities - wearing Lorica armour, wielding large shields and trained to fight cohesively, they injure Sir Geriant and Sir Aeron so seriously that their squires must bear them away to camp. ** The knights watch in horror as Prince Madoc is slain by Duke Goloris; but alone and with his sword stuck in the Prince's body, Sir Elad and Sir Rhodri take the chance. Elad wounds Cornwall, getting his attention, and Sir Rhodri delivers the killing blow: empowered by his love for Lady Jenna. ** The bodyguards of Duke Goloris come to rescue his body but fall as Sir Lycus and Sir Leo come with reinforcements to aid the knights. Sir Rhodri takes a captive, a household knight. ** Mounted Spearmen try to put up a fight as they retreat but the battle is over. Duke Ulfius of Silchester takes command of the army and, Sir Rhodri at his side, chases the stragglers to Castle Terrabil and thwarts them utterly. ** Sir Elad is too badly wounded to press into the castle and goes to the infirmary. Sir Bar was also wounded, and many other knights have died - this day is a victory but a costly one. Even Sir Rhodri's squire is dead, lost in the carnage and Sir Rhodri's passion. ** Earl Roderick is astounded that, for a second year is a row, one of his knights has slain a major noble who opposed King Uther. Sir Rhodri professes he did it for the love of Jenna; the Earl is somewhat speechless at this. * Sir Rhodri must go to Tintagel and tell King Uther of the defeat of Cornwall.... and the death of Prince Madoc. Sir Lycus and Sir Leo accompany him. ** Uther's face turns to stone when he is told the news; his grief at his son's death is obviously great, and he leaves to grieve in private. ** Duke Goloris' body is returned to the castle under flag of truce. ** The next day, Sir Brastias enters and negotiates a surrender. Lady Ygraine and her three daughters, in mourning black, leave and put themselves in Uther's custody. * Sir Elad, Sir Aeron and Sir Geriant are left as part of the garrison at Terrabil, along with Sir Rhodri, Sir Lycus and Sir Leo. It will take much time for their wounds to heal. ** News comes of Saxon raids along the south: King Ælle has been reinforced from the continent and sacks the city of Pevensey, sacrificing the whole population to Wotan. * The funeral for Madoc is held at Stonehenge a week later. Logres' nobles, and some foreigners, attend. ** King Leodegrance of Cameliard, an ally of Uther, is amongst the attendees - Sir Leander befriends the Cambrian king with ease. ** Sir Elad the Elder is also present, born on a litter as he is too ill to walk. He greets his old charges and thanks Sir Geriant for his beautiful christmas gift last year of a tapestry ** Sir Aeron notes that Stonehenge is the family burial plot - Aurelius Ambrosius is buried here and a slot remains for King Uther when his time comes. Uther is obviously very moved by this event - he's not getting any younger and now has no heir. Session Two * As the group heal, they go hutning with Sir Thebert Of The Duchy of Clarence; acting Castellan of Terrabil. ** Sir Geriant manages to track a fallow deer; the roe is felled by Sir Rhodri. ** Sir Thebert speaks of the war between Clarence and Gloucester, and the need for brave Logresmen to joint hem in battling the traitor Gloucestermen. * A month or so later, a messenger arrives from Tintagel to announce the upcoming wedding of King Uther and Lady Ygraine. ** Sir Madog reuintes with his colleagues: he has been on garrison duty in Salisbury. The time around the serfs has cooled his attitude towards commoners. ** Several of the knights spend money on more lavish wedding gifts for the king. ** Sir Rhodri tries to muster up the strength to speak to the Earl about Jenna... but his spirti is crushed when Duke Corneus of Lindsey is seen negotating for the maiden's hand. ** Merlin stuffs his face with food, saying he must go hibernate soon after using his magic. Sir Aeron pledges to help him in the future. ** Much hob-nobbing takes place with nobles, including King Lot of Lothian and the three children of Ygraine: Margawse, Elaine and little Morgan. * Prince Odo Stays At Terrabil Castle For Several Days; With Thebert Out, Sir Elad Must Host Him ** The Prince is forward with the ladies and behaves in a boorish fashion, but the ruels of hospitality must be adhered to. *** Attempts to distract him with other activities fail. *** Sir Aeron challeneges the Prince to a duel; but the Prince is a superior swordsman. *** Sir Elad ensures the servants are paid "danger money" to make up for the Prince's ungentlemanly behaviour. * Christmas Court is at Tintagel. ** The garrison at Terrabil must stay over Chirstmas, so only Sir Madog can return after court to his manor. *** To make up for this, Sir Thebert is free with gifts from the Cornish treasury. The garrison men receive several librium extra in wealth to keep them at their station. ** Rhordri speaks with Jenna, who says she will marry whomever her father tells her to but that she swears no man bar Sir Rhodri shall ever know her favours. ** This forces Sir Rhodri to finally have the courage to speak of his love of Jenna. In public, in front of King Uther, he makes his declaration. * Inclement weather hits Salisbury again this year, though the frost is not as severe as last year's Lady of the Lake-cursed snow. ** Sir Aeron's mother is blessed with a child in her second marriage. He spends a vast sum of money arranging for a huge horse herd to be set up in Berwick St James. ** Sir Elad's family grows: Lady Adwen has given him twins, two daughters. The population at Wylye blossoms as another properous year is enchieved. ** Sir Geriant's wife produces another child, a daughter this time. Many building projects are completed and even more are started on his manor - this year the focus will be on training himself and his people for combat readiness. ** Sir Leander QQQ ** Sir Madog's wife dies in childbirth and the winter is hard, though he manages to still produce a fine harvest through all his tradgedy. ** Sir Rhodri commissions a painting in honour of his now-public love.